Air Force General Tapped to Lead U.S. Space Command

U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. William
Shelton has been nominated
to serve as commander of Air Force Space Command, the U.S. Defense
Department
announced Sept. 10.

Shelton
is the deputy to Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton
Schwartz. He
previously commanded the Joint Space Operations Center at Vandenberg
Air Force
Base, Calif.

Shelton, if confirmed, would receive
his fourth star and
succeed Air Force Gen. Robert Kehler, who was nominated to serve as
commander
of U.S. Strategic Command.

The U.S.
Air Force Space Command is managed from Peterson Air Force
Base in
Colorado. The command center is tasked to "provide an integrated
constellation of space
and cyberspace capabilities at the speed of need," according
to a
mission statement.